VIJF FOTOS-Amsterdam Day 3

After a light breakfast in our flat, we made our way to the Van Gogh Museum.

My interest in Van Gogh really did stem from my intrigue about Don McLean's narrative hit "Vincent" where the narrator laments that he couldn't tell Vincent how beautiful he was. About the same time, I was broadening the songs that I could play on the guitar and "Vincent" was one of the pieces I learned. I tend to be drawn to sad narrative songs. This one has always drawn me in because it's a good reminder to let others know that their existence matters.

I had previously seen Van Gogh's "A Starry Night" and a few of his other works at the MOMA in New York City. The thought of seeing so many more pieces of his artwork in one place was exciting.

We loved the layout of the museum. We began with a temporary exhibit displaying mostly a number of painting of olive trees. I smiled when I recalled a recent conversation with our granddaughter Olive and showing her the olive trees on the property- "Me Trees" as coined by Olive.

The museum integrated a chronology with the display of Van Gogh's drawings and paintings. There were also other artists' works represented ranging from artists who influenced him to those artists who were his friends. It was interesting to see comparative paintings of the same subject.

He was so prolific, and you could see his thought process and his desire to create variations of a scene from different perspectives (time of day, season).

It's hard to think that he was so tortured that he ended his life at 37 never knowing his impact on art.

Part of Vincent's story revolves around his very close relationship with his brother,Theo. I loved the inclusion of letters between them. Although younger than Vincent, he also died about six months later. They are buried next to each other outside of Paris. This story really is grounded in the importance of siblings. I'm grateful for mine.

When I saw Van Gogh's "Sunflowers", in took on new meaning as I thought about the people in Ukraine. On the way back, we walked through a nearby park. I love greenspace in urban areas.We enjoyed a great lunch, and we've been relaxing at the flat. We had a light dinner of local breads, cheeses, and meats at the flat. It was another great day in a beautiful city. We're off to a pub or two before calling it a night.

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